The Formula Requesting Precepts

The formula requesting precepts

Okāsa ahan bhante, tisaracena saddhin pabbajjā  dasasīlan dhamman yācāmi. Anuggahan  katvā  sīlan  detha me bhante. Dutiympi ahan bhante tisaracena  saddhin pabbajjā dasasīlan  dhamman  yācāmi. Anuggahan katvā sīlan detha me bhante. Tatiyampi ahan bhante tisaracena saddhin pabbajjā dasasīlan dhamman yācāmi. Anuggahan katvā sīlan detha me bhante.

 When pabbajja ten precepts are requested, the following sentence will be uttered. “Yamaham vadāmi tan vadetha” which means, “repeat what I say”. The person being ordained must reply as “āma bhante” meaning, “Yes sir”. The stanza “Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammā sambhuddhassa” must then be uttered. Thereafter refuge must be taken by repeating after the teacher in two different ways

Makārānta taking refuge stanza

Buddham, saracam, gacchāmi. Dhammam, saracam, gacchāmi. Sangham, saracam, gacchāmi.

 Dutiyampi, Buddham, saracam, gaccāmi. Dutiyampi, Dhammam, saracam, gaccāmi. Dutiyampi, Sangham, saracam, gaccāmi.

 Tatiyampi, Buddham, saracam, gaccāmi.

Tatiyampi, Dhammam, saracam, gaccāmi. Tatiyampi, Sangham, saracam, gaccāmi.

 When this is recited, the words must be pronounced separately. They should not be combined. When taking refuge by the niggahitanta method the words must be combined.

Niggahitānta taking refuge stanza

Buddhan saracan gaccāmi. Dhamman saracan gaccāmi. Sanghan saracan gaccāmi.

Dutiyampi Buddhan saracan gaccāmi. Dutiyampi Dhamman saracan gaccāmi. Dutiyampi Sanghan saracan gaccāmi.

Tatiyampi Buddhan saracan gaccāmi. Tatiyampi Dhamman saracam gaccāmi. Tatiyampi Sanghan saracan gaccāmi.

After this recitation, the teacher must say, saracāgamanan sampuccan then the pupil must reply as “āma bhante”. Taking refuge in this manner, one becomes a sāmacera. According to the direction of the Buddha, any one who becomes a sāmacera must observe the ten precepts, whether expressly undertaken or not. Due to higher veneration, the teachers will make the sāmacera recite and undertake the ten precepts. The undertaking will be done according to a method preferred by the teacher. Following is the method adopted by most teachers in Sri Lanka.

Pācātipātā veramacī, adinnādānā veramacī, abhrahmacariyā veramacī, musāvādā veramaci, surāmeraya majjapamādaiihānā veramacī, vikālabhojanā veramacī, naccagīta vādita visūkadassanā veramacī, mālā gandha vilepana dhāraca macaana vibhūsanaiihanā veramacī, uccāsayana mahāsayanā veramacī, jātarūparajata paiiggahacā veramacī, imāni pabbajjā dasasikkhāpadāni samādiyāmi. Imāni pabbajjā dasasikkhāpadāni samādiymi. Imāni pabbajjā dasasikkhāpadāni samādiymi.

After causing to undertake the precepts the teacher must say,“Tisaracena saddhin pabbajjā dasasīlan Dhamman sādhukan surakkhitan katvā  appamādena  sampādetabban” the sāmacera should reply as “āma bhante”